Online Call Alert - Frequently Asked Questions

System Requirements:

• Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 2003 or Windows Vista
• V.92 Modem (more info)
• Call Waiting service from your phone company
• Call Waiting Caller ID service recommended

Please note that Online Call Alert requires Call Waiting service from your phone company. In order to fully enjoy all features and benefits of Online Call Alert software in addition to Call Waiting service you will also need V.92 connection to your Internet provider and Modem-on-Hold support from your ISP, Caller ID on Call Waiting service from your phone company.

Downloading and Installing

Q. How do I setup Online Call Alert?

Q. Where can I download Online Call Alert?

Q. Online Call Alert setup displays error message. What can I do?

Q. Is Online Call Alert Compatible with Windows Vista?

Q. How to uninstall Call Alert?

Problems with Notifications

Q. Online Call Alert is running but I am not notified of incoming calls while online. Why?

Q. Online Call Alert is running but my callers get busy signal when I'm online. Why?

Q. When I'm online my callers are transferred to a voice mail right away. Why?

Q. I have V.92 modem and Call Waiting service but Online Call Alert fails to alert me when a call comes in. Why?

Q. I have Caller ID, but Call Alert still shows N/A instead of caller's number when a call comes in when I'm online. What can I do?

Q. I have Caller ID, but Call Alert still shows N/A instead of caller's number when a call comes in when I'm offline. What can I do?

Q. Online Call Alert shows false calls notifications. What can I do?

Modem On Hold Problems

Q. Internet does not work after restoring from Hold. Why?

Q. Call Alert cannot put Internet on hold. Why?

V.92 Connection / Modem Problems

Q. How can I tell if I have V.92 modem?

Q. What modem do you recommend for Online Call Alert?

Q. I have V.92 modem and Call Waiting service but Call Alert shows V.90 connection and fails to alert me when a call comes in. What can I do?

Miscellaneous Problems

Q. Modem starts to dial when talking on the phone. What can I do?

Q. How to disable Call Alert Ring Tone?

Q. How can I change announcer’s voice?

Q. How do I print the Call Log?

Q. Will Online Call Alert work if I have only Call Waiting but no Caller ID?

Q. I am using another Internet Call Waiting service (AOLCallAlert, CallWave, Pagoo, BuzMe etc). How can I try Online Call Alert?

Downloading and Installing

Q. How do I setup Online Call Alert?

A. In order to install Online Call Alert please do the following:

1. Download Online Call Alert Setup file from your ISP’s website.
   A window will open asking what you want to do with a file called 'CallAlert.exe' (or similar). Click Save (sometimes labeled Save to Disk). The Save In window appears. From the Save In field, click the down arrow then click to select Desktop and click Save. The file will download to your desktop. If the Download Complete window appears, click Close. The new icon appears on your desktop.
2. Run Call Alert Setup and follow Call Alert Setup Wizard.
   Double-click the new icon on the desktop labeled 'CallAlert.exe' (or similar). You might see a confirmation message, asking if you want to run software from 'Traysoft Inc.'. That's us, so go ahead and click Run. Call Alert Setup Wizard will appear and guide you through the rest of the installation.
3. Configure Call Alert.
   After installing Online Call Alert please restart your computer. Call Alert will pop up a dialog asking what modem you use to connect to the Internet. Do not go online yet. Select your modem from the list and click OK. Call Alert will check what features are supported by the modem. Click Done and you are all set.

Q. Where can I download Online Call Alert?

A. Online Call Alert is available from your Internet provider's website if your ISP offers this service. Please contact your Internet provider for more information.

Q. Online Call Alert setup displays error message. What can I do?

A. If Call Alert setup shows a message that the installer is corrupted, most likely your download was interrupted and setup file is corrupted. Please try again to download Online Call Alert from your ISP’s website.

Q. Is Online Call Alert Compatible with Windows Vista?

A. Yes, the Call Alert version 2.25 or later is compatible with Windows Vista.

Q. How to uninstall Call Alert?

A. To remove Call Alert from your computer click Start button and select All Programs -> Online Call Alert -> Uninstall Call Alert.

Problems with Notifications

Q. Online Call Alert is running but I am not notified of incoming calls while online. Why?

A. Please check if you have Call Waiting service on your phone line. You need Call Waiting service from your phone company to use Online Call Alert. If you hear a beep when a second call comes in while you are talking on the phone, you have call waiting service and Call Alert should work. If you have Call Waiting service, please make sure "Disable Call Waiting" option is not selected in the internet provider settings (dial-up connection settings). If your modem dials *70 before internet provider number, call waiting will be disabled and Call Alert will not work. Please remove *70 from the dial-up number.

Did you use another Internet Call Waiting service such as AOLCallAlert, CallWave, Pagoo, BuzMe etc? Other Internet Call Waiting services activate "Call Forwarding On Busy" service on your phone line. You have to deactivate it otherwise Online Call Alert will not work. Please call your phone company to deactivate Call Forwarding On Busy.

When you're connected to the internet, click Call Alert icon in the Windows taskbar area at the bottom right corner of the screen to bring up Call Alert. Click fourth button on Call Alert toolbar to go to the Dialup screen. On the Dialup screen it should say "Connected - V92". If it does say so, everything is setup correctly.

Q. Online Call Alert is running but my callers get busy signal when I'm online. Why?

A. If you don't have Call Waiting service, Online Call Alert will not work and the callers will get busy signal. Please call your phone company and activate Call Waiting service. If you have Call Waiting service, please make sure "Disable Call Waiting" option is not selected in the internet provider settings (dial-up connection settings). If your modem dials *70 before internet provider number, call waiting will be disabled and Online Call Alert will not work. Please remove *70 from the dial-up number.

Did you use another Internet Call Waiting service such as AOLCallAlert, CallWave, Pagoo, BuzMe etc? Other Internet Call Waiting services activate "Call Forwarding On Busy" service on your phone line. You have to deactivate it otherwise Online Call Alert will not work. Please call your phone company to deactivate Call Forwarding On Busy.

Q. When I'm online my callers are transferred to a voice mail right away. Why?

A. If you don't have Call Waiting service, the callers will be transferred to your voice mail right away. Please call your phone company and activate Call Waiting service. If you have Call Waiting service, please make sure "Disable Call Waiting" option is not selected in the internet provider settings (dial-up connection settings). If your modem dials *70 before internet provider number, call waiting will be disabled and Online Call Alert will not work. Please remove *70 from the dial-up number.

Did you use another Internet Call Waiting service such as AOLCallAlert, CallWave, Pagoo, BuzMe etc? Other Internet Call Waiting services activate "Call Forwarding On Busy" service on your phone line. You have to deactivate it otherwise Online Call Alert will not work. Please call your phone company to deactivate Call Forwarding On Busy.

Q. I have V.92 modem and Call Waiting service but Online Call Alert fails to alert me when a call comes in. Why?

A. Some modems can detect incoming calls only on V.92 connection. Please check if your Internet Service Provider supports V.92 connection. To check what type of connection was established, when online click Call Alert icon in the system tray near the clock in the bottom right corner of the screen to bring up Online Call Alert and click Dialup button (fourth button on Call Alert toolbar). Call Alert should display current connection type next to "Dialup connection:" label (e.g. "Connected to 555-5555 - V.92").

You might need to update your modem driver to get V.92 connection. You can find the newest drivers at modem manufacturer's website. If your modem was bundled with the PC, try PC manufacturer's web site.

You can try to use another dialup number in your area in order to get V.92 connection.

You can also try to select "Automatically disconnect the internet" option on the Dialup page in Call Alert. It might work with your modem if connection is not V.92.

If your internet provider doesn't support V.92, you can get a modem that works with any type of connection. Click here to order a modem that will work with any ISP. You will not be able to put internet on hold if connection is not V.92, but you will see who is calling and will be able to answer incoming calls using this modem.

Q. I have Caller ID, but Call Alert still shows N/A instead of caller's number when a call comes in when I'm online. What can I do?

A. Please check if you have Caller ID on Call Waiting service from your phone company. You need this service to see caller's number when you are online. This is not the same as usual Caller ID. There are 2 types of Caller ID service:

1. Regular Caller ID which gives the caller's name and number on regular calls
2. Caller ID on Call Waiting, which gives the caller's name and number on call waiting.

Make sure you got the second type. Phone companies can call it Call Waiting Caller ID or Call Waiting ID or Visual Call Waiting or Call Waiting Deluxe. If your phone displays a caller’s number when you get a second call while talking on the phone, you have the right service.

If you have this service but still get N/A instead of caller’s number, please select "Call Alert Driver" instead of "Modem-on-Hold API" on the Troubleshooting screen. To access Troubleshooting screen, click Online Call Alert icon in Windows taskbar area in the bottom right corner of the screen to bring up Online Call Alert, then click fourth button on Online Call Alert toolbar, then click Troubleshooting button on the Dialup screen.

Q. I have Caller ID, but Call Alert still shows N/A instead of caller's number when a call comes in when I'm offline. What can I do?

A. Most likely your modem doesn't support Caller ID when offline. Unfortunately there are many modems that don't support offline Caller ID. All V.92 modems support Caller ID when online, but offline Caller ID decoding requires additional hardware parts on a modem, and some modem manufacturers do not install them to reduce cost.

If Call Alert displays callers’ numbers for local calls, but not for long-distance calls, most likely you have distinctive ringing for long distance calls (sometimes called long distance call notification). Distinctive ringing means that your phone rings differently on long distance calls. Some modems can't decode Caller ID if distinctive ringing is enabled. Please try to disable distinctive ringing. To do that you usually can dial *49 from your phone. If *49 doesn’t work please contact your phone company to find out how to disable distinctive ringing / long distance call notification.

Q. Online Call Alert shows false calls notifications. What can I do?

A. Please try to update your modem driver. You can find the newest drivers at modem manufacturer's website. If your modem was bundled with the PC, try PC manufacturer's web site.

Modem On Hold Problems

Q. Internet does not work after restoring from Hold. Why?

A. Please make sure you hang up the phone before clicking "Restore" button. It can take 10-15 seconds to restore internet connection. If connection is not yet restored, you will get "page not found" error if you try to browse internet. You can wait a little bit then click Refresh button in Internet Explorer and it should work. If it still doesn't work after 15-20 seconds, please try to select "Use alternative restore command" troubleshooting option. To access this option, click Call Alert icon in Windows taskbar area at the bottom right corner of the screen to bring up Call Alert, then click fourth button on Call Alert toolbar, then click Troubleshooting button on the Dialup screen.

Q. Call Alert cannot put Internet on hold. Why?

A. Does your Internet provider support modem-on-hold? Some Internet providers do not allow putting internet on hold. If your Internet provider doesn't allow that, your Internet connection will be disconnected if you decide to answer the call.

Modem on Hold also requires V.92 connection. To check what type of connection was established, when online click Call Alert icon (small cellphone) in Windows taskbar area near the clock at the bottom right corner of the screen to bring up Call Alert and click Dialup button (fourth button on Call Alert toolbar). Call Alert should display current connection type next to "Dialup connection:" label (e.g. "Connected to 555-5555 - V.92"). If connection is not V.92, please try to disconnect and dial again. You can also try other dial-up number in your area. Sometimes not all dial-up numbers support V.92.

If your internet provider allows to put internet on hold and you have V.92 connection but it still doesn't work, please try to update your modem driver. You can find the newest drivers at modem manufacturer's website. If your modem was bundled with the PC, try PC manufacturer's web site.

V.92 Connection / Modem Problems

Please note that the following modems require V.92 connection in order to detect incoming calls as well as Caller ID:

• Conexant HSF
• Conexant SoftV92
• Conexant HDAudio
• Conexant PCI Soft modem with SmartCP

Q. How can I tell if I have V.92 modem?

A. Online Call Alert automatically detects if your modem supports V.92. To check what features have been detected, click Call Alert icon in the system tray near the clock in the bottom right corner of the screen to bring up Cal Alert and click Dialup button (fourth button on Call Alert toolbar). You should see detected modem features below your modem name, for example V.92 - Yes, Call Waiting - Yes, Online Caller ID - Yes. If it says V.92 - No, Call Alert might be unable to work with your modem. If V.92 support wasn't detected please try to install the latest driver for your modem. Most modems support V.92 with the latest driver. You can find the newest drivers at modem manufacturer's website. If your modem was bundled with the PC please try PC manufacturer's web site.

If your modem doesn't work with Call Alert you can get a very good modem that works. Click here to order a modem that works with Call Alert. It's an exernal USB modem and it's very easy to install without opening your computer. Please use the latest drivers for this modem:
Driver 2.1.83 for Windows XP and Windows Vista 32-bit.
Driver 2.1.83 for Windows XP 64-bit and Windows Vista 64-bit.

We also recommend this internal PCI modem. It's cheaper but you will need to open your computer to install it.

Q. What modem do you recommend for Online Call Alert?

A. We tested many models and most modems with Conexant, Intel or Lucent/Agere chipset work fine. We recommend this particular modem. It's an exernal USB modem and it's very easy to install without opening your computer. Please use the latest drivers for this modem:
Driver 2.1.83 for Windows XP and Windows Vista 32-bit.
Driver 2.1.83 for Windows XP 64-bit and Windows Vista 64-bit.

We also recommend this internal PCI modem. It's cheaper but you will need to open your computer to install it.

Q. I have V.92 modem and Call Waiting service but Call Alert shows V.90 connection and fails to alert me when a call comes in. What can I do?

A. Most likely your modem can detect incoming calls only on V.92 connection. Please check if your Internet Service Provider supports V.92 connection. To check what type of connection was established, when online click Call Alert icon in the system tray near the clock in the bottom right corner of the screen to bring up Call Alert and click Dialup button (fourth button on Call Alert toolbar). Call Alert should display current connection type next to "Dialup connection:" label (e.g. "Connected to 555-5555 - V.92").

You might need to update your modem driver. You can find the newest drivers at modem manufacturer's website. If your modem was bundled with the PC, try PC manufacturer's web site.

You can try to use another dialup number in your area in order to get V.92 connection.

You can also try to select "Automatically disconnect the internet" option on the Dialup page in Call Alert. It might work with your modem if connection is not V.92.

If your internet provider doesn't support V.92, you can get a modem that works with any type of connection. This modem will work with any ISP. You will not be able to put internet on hold if connection is not V.92, but you can see who's calling and answer the calls using this modem.

Miscellaneous Problems

Q. Modem starts to dial when talking on the phone. What can I do?

A. You will need to disable options for automatic re-dial if internet connection is lost. Open up Internet Explorer and select Tools -> Internet Options from main menu. Click Connections tab and select "Never dial a connection".

Q. How to disable Call Alert Ring Tone?

A. To disable ring in Call Alert please do the following: Click Call Alert icon in the bottom right-corner of the screen to bring up Call Alert. Click Privacy Manager button (the second button on Call Alert toolbar). You will see a list of call types (N/A, Private Number, Out of Area, etc.). Click on each call type and uncheck Ring box below the list. Call Alert has separate settings for each call type so you will have to do it for all of them.

Q. How can I change announcer’s voice?

A. To change announcer voice, please click Call Alert icon in the bottom right-corner of the screen, then click Settings button (third button in Call Alert toolbar). Click Settings button next to "Use speech to announce calls" and select another voice.

Q. How do I print the Call Log?

A. Click Call Alert icon in Windows taskbar area at the bottom right corner of the screen to bring up Call Alert. Click Settings button (third button on Call Alert toolbar) then click Open button next to the Data Folder box. Explorer window with Call Alert data folder will open. Double-click CallLog.csv file. If Window pop up is asking you to select which program to open, choose Wordpad. The call log file will open. CallLog will open with Microsoft Excel if you have it or Wordpad and you will be able to print the file from any of these applications.

Q. Will Online Call Alert work if I have only Call Waiting but no Caller ID?

A. If you have only Call Waiting, Online Call Alert should work, however, Call Alert will display N/A on all calls instead of callers’ numbers.

Q. I am using another Internet Call Waiting service (AOLCallAlert, CallWave, Pagoo, BuzMe etc). How can I try Online Call Alert?

A. Other Internet Call Waiting services activate "Call Forwarding On Busy" service on your phone line. You have to deactivate it otherwise Online Call Alert will not work. Please call your phone company to deactivate Call Forwarding on Busy. To use Online Call Alert you also need to activate Call Waiting service.